Aaah, the Darien Gap, that rather large swamp between Panama and Columbia that no road-building civil engineer has yet managed to penetrate, and which is the bane of every overlander travelling the Americas. If I ever get to do this route again I shall definitely opt for this……

In the early 1970’s Major John Blashford-Snell led a team of soldiers, including two Range Rovers, across the Darien Gap. This 250 mile stretch of swamp is known as EL TAPON – The Stopper – but it didn’t stop JBS, so it is possible to drive it…sort of, providing you have a stock of equipment, like chain saws, bridging ladders, rubber boats, a crew of sappers, a few machine-guns, some spare differentials, a helicopter, plenty of beer, and a spare 96 days…which we certainly don’t have, as we have to make a trip back to Europe in the next couple of weeks. Because of the time constraint, and the fact that it is not possible for us to leave the car in Ecuador, we have this great idea to ship it from Guayaquil in Ecuador, across to Balboa in Panama, where we intend parking it for a couple of months whilst we head to Europe. Sounds easy enough, right? It should be, except everyone here in Guayaquil who makes a living from putting things in containers is having a laugh. We’re on our second visit to the town, and our second shipping agent, and each day another expense creeps into the quote. The costs appear to be at least double the Cartagena/Colon crossing. So here’s a piece of advice: anyone considering shipping their vehicle from Guayaquil should think again, as we’re now having to do.